BlacknewsportalHarnessing the power of our voices with our narratives and perspective as a people. http://blacknewsportal.comPRESS ROOM: NFL & Players Coalition Commit $3 Million+ to Communities of Color in Support of COVID-19 Relief&

NEW YORK – The NFL, through its Inspire Change platform and the Players Coalition, today announced a donation of $3,050,000 to seven markets that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our communities nationwide, reports show that communities of color, specifically African American communities, have seen disproportionately high rates of devastating impacts. As part of the multi-year, ongoing collaboration of NFL players, clubs and owners to address racial inequality and social injustice, the Players Coalition recommended the organizations which were then approved by the broader Player-Owner Social Justice Working Group. These emergency donations come from the NFL’s dedicated social justice investment. Beneficiaries were selected based on rates of impact and community needs.

“We know that during this difficult time, our minority and low-income communities are struggling disproportionately with the impact of COVID-19,” said Players Coalition co-founder and Working Group member Anquan Boldin. “Communities in Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and more are getting hit hard right now, and we want to do our part in ensuring these areas have even the basic needs. We are glad we can partner with the NFL to support the organizations who are on the ground providing for these families.”

“This is a difficult time for our nation, and it is important for us to continue to find ways to support those that need it most,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We have an opportunity to direct financial resources to the hardest hit populations. This pandemic is having a tragic effect on communities of color and through Inspire Change and our relationship with the Players Coalition, we are pleased to be able to help where we can.”

“It’s especially critical to provide extra support for our minority communities who don’t always have access to the basic necessities,” said Players Coalition Task Force member and Working Group member Kelvin Beachum. “We are thankful we can give to the hospitals and organizations in COVID-19 hot spots that are supporting our minority communities and fighting to save lives during this pandemic.”

More than $50 million has been donated to date in support of COVID-19 relief by the greater NFL family, now including the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice contribution. Inspire Change supports NFL players, clubs, and non-profit grant partners in their efforts to reduce barriers to opportunity with a focus on education and economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform.

Please see below for the full list of beneficiary organizations. The NFL’s COVID-19 relief efforts will continue with this week’s Draft-A-Thon during the NFL Draft on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC starting April 23, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET.

The following organizations will receive COVID-relief funding from the NFL’s social justice initiative:

While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our communities nationwide, reports show that communities of color, specifically African American communities, have seen disproportionately high rates of devastating impacts. As part of the multi-year, ongoing collaboration of NFL players, clubs and owners to address racial inequality and social injustice, the Players Coalition recommended the organizations which were then approved by the broader Player-Owner Social Justice Working Group. These emergency donations come from the NFL’s dedicated social justice investment. Beneficiaries were selected based on rates of impact and community needs.

“We know that during this difficult time, our minority and low-income communities are struggling disproportionately with the impact of COVID-19,” said Players Coalition co-founder and Working Group member Anquan Boldin. “Communities in Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and more are getting hit hard right now, and we want to do our part in ensuring these areas have even the basic needs. We are glad we can partner with the NFL to support the organizations who are on the ground providing for these families.”

“This is a difficult time for our nation, and it is important for us to continue to find ways to support those that need it most,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We have an opportunity to direct financial resources to the hardest hit populations. This pandemic is having a tragic effect on communities of color and through Inspire Change and our relationship with the Players Coalition, we are pleased to be able to help where we can.”

“It’s especially critical to provide extra support for our minority communities who don’t always have access to the basic necessities,” said Players Coalition Task Force member and Working Group member Kelvin Beachum. “We are thankful we can give to the hospitals and organizations in COVID-19 hot spots that are supporting our minority communities and fighting to save lives during this pandemic.”

More than $50 million has been donated to date in support of COVID-19 relief by the greater NFL family, now including the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice contribution. Inspire Change supports NFL players, clubs, and non-profit grant partners in their efforts to reduce barriers to opportunity with a focus on education and economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform.

Please see below for the full list of beneficiary organizations. The NFL’s COVID-19 relief efforts will continue with this week’s Draft-A-Thon during the NFL Draft on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC starting April 23, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET.

The following organizations will receive COVID-relief funding from the NFL’s social justice initiative:

Sixty-five years after the horrific lynching of teenager Emmett Till, the U.S. House of Representatives have finally passed H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act.

The legislation would make lynching a crime under federal law.

“Today, under the leadership of Representative Bobby Rush (IL-01), and three other Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the House of Representatives finally passed legislation to address the heinous act of lynching by making it a federal crime. The first bill to outlaw lynching was introduced in 1900,” members of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote in a statement.

“Lynching was a brutal, violent, and often savage public spectacle. They were advertised in newspapers, memorialized in postcards, and souvenirs were made from the victims’ remains,” the CBC, which is chaired by Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif), added.

A 1930 editorial in Raleigh News and Observer noted the delight of the audience witnessing a lynching as “Men joked loudly at the sight of the bleeding body; girls giggled as the flies fed on the blood that dripped from the Negro’s nose.”

“Make no mistake: lynching is domestic terrorism. It is a tool that was used during the 256 years of slavery to terrorize enslaved African Americans and discourage them from rebelling,” Bass said.

“It was used for almost 100 years after the end of slavery to terrorize free African Americans and discourage them from exercising their rights as citizens. Even today, we hear reports of nooses being left on college campuses and workplaces to threaten and harass Black people,” she stated.

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Tim Scott (R-SC) applauded the passage of the bill, which is identical to anti-lynching legislation the three introduced in the Senate last year.

“Today brings us one step closer to finally reconciling a dark chapter in our nation’s history,” Booker stated in a release. “Lynchings were used to terrorize, marginalize, and oppress black communities – to kill human beings to sow fear and keep black communities in a perpetual state of racial subjugation.”

He continued:

“If we do not reckon with this dark past, we cannot move forward. But today we are moving forward. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Rush, the House has sent a clear, indisputable message that lynching will not be tolerated. It has brought us closer to reckoning with our nation’s history of racialized violence. Now the Senate must again pass this bill to ensure that it finally becomes law.”

Harris called lynchings racially-motivated acts of violence and terror that represent a dark and despicable chapter of our nation’s history.

“They were acts against people who should have received justice but did not. With this bill, we can change that by explicitly criminalizing lynching under federal law,” noted Harris, who suspended her presidential campaign late last year.

“I applaud Congressman Rush and the House of Representatives for speaking the truth about our past and making it clear that these acts must never happen again without serious and swift consequence and accountability. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this bill’s passage,” she said.

Scott added that it’s essential to show that hate will not win while Rush compared lynching to the French use of the guillotine, the Roman Empire’s use of crucifixion, and the British use of drawing and quartering as a tool of terrorism.

“And, for too long now, a federal law against lynching has remained conspicuously silent,” Rush noted. “Today, we will send a strong message that violence – and race-based violence, in particular – has no place in American society. I am immensely grateful to Senators Harris, Booker, and Scott for working with my office on this landmark piece of legislation, and I look forward to it being quickly passed in the Senate and immediately sent to the President to be signed into law.”

Bass said the last known lynching was as recent as 25 years ago and only then, for the first time in the nation’s history, was the perpetrator convicted and executed. “This is an awful part of our history, but it is our history – our American history – and it is important for us to all know and remember it, especially now that we are facing a resurgence of hate crimes in America under the presidency of Donald J. Trump,” Bass stated.

“Now there is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice to document the known history of lynching and the many reasons why Black people were lynched, such as for making eye contact with a white person, not moving to the other side of the street, or spitting in public,” she said.

Further, Bass added that the bill makes “a long-overdue change to our laws by finally addressing the issue of lynching for the thousands of African Americans who suffered this heinous fate and the countless more we’ll never know.”

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Maria Onore, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

Bryant was 41, and his daughter, affectionately known as GiGi, who was only 13.

“As the reports came in on the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the other passengers on board his helicopter we all were shocked and saddened by the news of a life gone far too soon,” stated Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., the chairman and executive publisher of NNPA member newspaper, the Los Angeles Sentinel. “Whether you were a Laker fan or not, the news seemed surreal.”

Bakewell continued:

“This tragic death of a young man dying in the prime of his life is a reminder to us all of just how precious life really is and how we must all embrace life, love and family and never forget what is really important.

“Kobe was a warrior on the basketball court, and he seemed to ease his way into retirement life with the same passion and enthusiasm that we all admired when he was playing in the NBA.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, his wife, his children and all those who admired Kobe Bryant not only as a basketball star but as a Man, a Son, a Husband and Father.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA, said the Black Press joins with the rest of America in mourning Bryant’s death.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association expresses our profound sympathy and sincerest condolences to the family of Kobe Bryant,” Chavis stated.

Denise Rolark Barnes, the publisher of the Washington Informer also offered her condolences to the Bryant family. “Our hearts cry out for Kobe Bryant and his family,” Rolark Barnes stated. “Our memories of his phenomenal life and career will never die.”

TMZ reported that the 5-time NBA Champion was en route to his Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The academy is north of Los Angeles in the city of Thousand Oaks.

In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Bryant was a giant who inspired, amazed and thrilled people everywhere. “He will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes,” Garcetti stated.

“This is a moment that leaves us struggling to find words that express the magnitude of shock and sorrow we are all feeling right now, and I am keeping Kobe’s entire family in my prayers at this time of unimaginable grief.”

The helicopter, an S-76 owned by Bryant, crashed and caught fire at about 10 a.m. Pacific time, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Rescue crews were on location within moments, but officials said it was too late to save anyone aboard.

Another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who played against Bryant’s father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, said he was stunned.

“Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players,” Jabbar tweeted. “But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete.”

Shaquille O’Neal, who won three NBA titles with Bryant and the Lakers from 2000 to 2002, tweeted that his late and former teammate was much more than an athlete. “He was a family man. That was what we had most in common,” O’Neal wrote. “I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter, Me’Arah.”

Current Lakers star LeBron James was seen leaving the team’s airplane in tears. He didn’t address reporters.

A spokesperson for the Lakers said the team plans to address the heartbreaking matter “soon.”

Ken Miller, the publisher of the Inglewood, California-based NNPA member newspaper, Inglewood Today, said he was also in shock and devastated by the news.

Miller covered Bryant for years for the Los Angeles Sentinel and said the superstar had previously given him his personal cell phone number.

“We are going to do a special edition of our newspaper that will be totally dedicated to Kobe Bryant,” stated Miller, who coincidentally wore a Westchester High School basketball sweatshirt during last week’s NNPA Mid-Winter Training Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The conference concluded just one day before the Bryant tragedy.

“When Jerry West drafted Kobe at the age of 17, no one knew exactly what the franchise was getting,” Miller stated. “He evolved to [become], I would say, the greatest Laker of them all, and I had the opportunity to cover and meet him personally and at one time just out of the blue as a reporter. I was so starstruck by him by his air, by his intelligence, and he had a reclusiveness to him as well, that I just walked up to him and asked him for his personal cell phone. He gave it to me, and it was at a time when Shaquille O’Neill was gone, and the Lakers had just won three championships. He ultimately wanted to connect with the African American community.”

Born in Philadelphia in 1978, Bryant was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft, but forced a post-draft trade to the Lakers, stating it was the only team he’d join.

Bryant spent his entire career with the Lakers, winning five NBA championships and the 2008 MVP Award. He topped Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game.

His uniform numbers 8 and 24 were both retired by the franchise, making him the only NBA star to have two numbers retired with the same team. In 2018, Bryant earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball.

The late superstar supported at least seven charities and foundations, including After-School All-Stars, Aid Still Required, Cathy’s Kids Foundation, and the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, where he and his wife are dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need, both domestically and globally.

The foundation provides financial resources and develops unique programs that serve to strengthen communities through educational and cultural enrichment opportunities.

Even as a lifelong New York Knicks fan, a team that saw Bryant crush their hopes on many a night, the death of the man known as “The Black Mamba” is as stunning as any this reporter has seen. In 1979, in a similarly shocking tragedy, during a season in which they were trying to defend their World Series title, the New York Yankees lost their beloved captain, Thurman Munson, in a plane crash.

While Munson was only one of the cogs in a Yankee team that had captured back-to-back titles in 1977 and 1978, Bryant was the unquestioned leader of the Lakers, one of the most storied franchises in sports, who turned out such superstars as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, James Worthy, and Shaquille O’Neal.

“He was the greatest of all Lakers,” Magic Johnson stated

Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, and children Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” a scripture reading from Romans 12:2.

Transformation is something the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior was in pursuit of. He was seeking to fulfill his God given dream to help lead all people to the promise land of true brotherhood. On this national holiday we observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a drum major who followed the drumbeat of a different drum. He did not follow the world’s cadence of anger, discord and violence but chose to operate in the unforced rhythm of God’s grace to take a stand against racism, militarism, injustice and poverty. He sought to serve others in his quest to achieve equality in civil and economic rights for Black Americans, along with a demand for criminal justice reforms.

In 1963, I remember as a child sitting at home in Hagerstown, Maryland with my mother and grandmother in our living room watching a network news report on the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice. The report showed Dr. King delivering what would become a speech literally heard around the world and echoed throughout history, “I Have A Dream.”

It was a dream that set into motion the transformation of race relations in America. Dr. King’s leadership in the non-violent struggle for civil rights earned him the distinction of being called a “drum major for justice, a drum major for peace.”

But to his four children, he was simply known as “daddy.”

Dr. King was mindful of his children when he delivered his famous address, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Dr. King’s youngest child, Bernice King, has followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming an ordained minister and continues his legacy. She believes that her dad’s dream for his children to be judged by the content of their character has, in many ways, become a reality. She says, “new generations of people have benefited greatly because of the dream but we still have more work to do.”

King recently talked to me about her reflections of her father. Her dad’s incredible contribution to the world, she explained, is a result of his extraordinary faith in God. As I talked with her, she told me that everything her daddy did, came out of his personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

King recalls how her dad’s deep faith helped him overcome the pressures from leading the non-violent struggle for Civil Rights, particularly when the burden became too heavy to bear: “I remember in the beginning when he was about to give up because he got a call that threatened to blow up his home where my mom and my sister were. He was in the kitchen and just before midnight, he told God; I’m at the end of my powers. I’m just down here trying to do right. Why do I have to deal with all of these evil and wicked people? Why are people so mean-spirited? Why can’t people understand goodness and the good works we’re trying to do? Why is there so much hate?”

King continued that her dad had grown weary and felt he could not continue; he was at the end of his rope. She explained to me; “It was at that point that he said he heard the voice of God say; “Martin Luther King, Junior! Stand up for justice! Stand up for righteousness! And I will be with you until the end.”

Essentially, Dr. King went through what I refer to as a “Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane” moment. King was facing the very real threat of death for seeking to do what was right in the eyes of God. He knew in the eyes of man, if he would continue to carry his cross of love for humanity, the very depravity of mankind could crush him and his family. But from that encounter with God in his kitchen, his extraordinary faith compelled him to keep moving forward with his noble cause, even in the face of death.

Scripture tells us when we encounter adversity as King surely did, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Therefore, we do not lose heart.”

Of her daddy’s accomplishments, Bernice humbly says, “It’s emotional to know that you’re connected to a man who had such a great impact on this world. It’s a humbling experience to know that he’s my dad.”

Dr. King, a dedicated Baptist minister with brilliant oratory skills, the academic prowess of a scholar, and the wisdom of a prophet, faithfully and courageously challenged America to embrace his dream of a better, stronger and united America. I asked Bernice how we have gone astray in fulfilling that dream.

“It goes back to economics and spirituality. Those two issues I think are very critical. And the whole fervor of materialism in our society and self-centeredness has taken us away. And so, instead of people focusing on God first and everything else next, we’ve reversed those priorities. So, our values and our priorities are off.”

She adds; “Daddy talked about this in 1967. He forewarned that if we’re not careful, we will become a “thing” oriented society and not “people centered” and all of these different crises are going to emerge. And that’s what’s been happening.”

With that, King’s daughter acknowledged how the world has shattered her daddy’s dream. She points out how we are still confronted with poverty, crippling illiteracy, poor education, and senseless violence. “You think about what happened in Newtown, Connecticut. I mean that should have jolted us like nothing else. We saw 6-year-olds losing their life so senselessly. I’m thinking about Chicago and all of those young people who are killing each other. What has happened to a society that has turned away from that kind of situation and not realize this speaks to who “we are.” as a nation and a cancer in our society. The situation with Trayvon Martin, everyday there are several Trayvon Martins; not in the black community but in the Hispanic/Latino communities and other communities.

Were he living today, Dr. King would listen to politicians, civil rights and faith leaders agitate bloviate, instigate and aggravate. Then he would seek to elevate, motivate and demonstrate God’s view for healing the painful wounds of the past and bridge the deep divide with the bonds of reconciliation.

In 1963, as he sat in a Birmingham jail, he wrote about becoming an extremist to deal with the extreme issues of hate and division.

He advised Americans to become more like Jesus as an extremist in love — “your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them who despitefully use you.”

His daughter says, “One of the most important traits in unconditional love is the capacity to forgive. It’s very easy to become bitter. It’s very easy to become angry. It’s very easy to want to take revenge or retaliation. We must have the capacity to have the mentality that says by destroying them; part of me is being destroyed because they’re part of my humanity.

“My dad lost his life but look at what the world has gained. Even though he didn’t make it to see that Promised Land he talked about and everybody hasn’t made it to this Promised Land he talked about but there are people that are benefiting from the life and ultimate sacrifice that he made.”

Reflecting on King’s legacy, we would serve ourselves well if we could follow his example of spiritual depth, courageous leadership and unselfish service. Like King, we must seek transformation by the renewing of our minds. Let us remember that Dr. King did not conform to the culture of hate but followed the pattern of love. He said; “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Let’s continue the King dream and legacy by boldly and courageously spreading God’s love, freedom and peace.

Excerpt:Dr. King’s youngest child, Bernice King, has followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming an ordained minister and continues his legacy. She believes that her dad’s dream for his children to be judged by the content of their character has, in many ways, become a reality. She says, “new generations of people have benefited greatly because of the dream but we still have more work to do.”

Millions adore Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) for his selfless and lifelong dedication to civil and equal rights.

Some idolize Lewis like a rock star, while most revere him as an icon.

It is why presidents, politicians, members of Congress, and everyday people have taken time this week to pay tribute to the 79-year-old, 17-term congressman, who announced that he’s battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“If there’s one thing I love about Rep. John Lewis, it’s his incomparable will to fight,” former President Barack Obama wrote on his official Twitter account.

“I know he’s got a lot more of that left in him. Praying for you, my friend,” Obama stated.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and former Tallahassee, Fla., Mayor Andrew Gillum, counted among the masses to send their prayers and heartfelt support to Lewis via social media.

“John Lewis is a giant – an icon of the civil rights movement, a leader in Congress and one of the kindest people I know,” Rep. Omar tweeted. “I’m praying for a speedy and full recovery. We need you making good trouble in the halls of Congress,” she wrote.

Lewis is an “American hero and one of the bravest people I know,” Gillum stated. “It was the honor of my life to get into good trouble with him on the campaign trail.”

Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said the group is praying that Lewis remains strong, vigilant, and relentless in his battle.

“There is no civil rights warrior more dedicated to the cause than John Lewis,” Steele stated. “I know he will wage this battle head-on.”

Members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of black-owned newspapers across the country, also offered their support for Lewis.

“Rep. John Lewis is a profound leader, humanitarian and civil rights icon who has made his mark on American history and has fought for the rights of all people, especially African Americans in this country,” stated NNPA Chair and Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards.

“I am extremely confident and prayerful that Rep. Lewis will fight this battle of being diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in the same way he has fought and been an example of strength for others his entire life. Praying for a speedy recovery,” Richards stated.

NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., called Lewis a fearless voice and advocate for freedom, justice, and equality both in the halls of the U.S. Congress and in the streets of America.

“John Lewis epitomizes what it means to be a courageous freedom fighter for more than six decades in America and throughout the world,” Chavis stated.

“The Black Press of America salutes the tireless sacrifices and triumphant ideals that the Honorable John Lewis represents today as we go into 2020,” he added.

“The re-enactment of the full Voting Rights Act should be named The John Lewis 2020 Voting Act that he has worked so diligently to see fulfilled for Black Americans and all others who cry out for equality,” Chavis concluded.

Lewis said he’s not looking to give up his work.

“I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community,” Lewis wrote in a statement.

“We still have many bridges to cross,” he stated.

Born in Troy, Alabama, on February 21, 1940, Lewis and his family were poverty-stricken, but it didn’t stop him from rising among the ranks of America’s most prominent leaders.

He became involved in the Civil Rights Movement while still a student at the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tenn., where he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Just shy of his 20th birthday in 1960, Lewis was the man behind the successful sit-in movement at segregated lunch counters in Nashville. In 1961, he volunteered to become a member of the Freedom Riders and put his life on the line several times while fighting for equality.

As chairman of the SNCC, a position he served from 1963 to 1965, Lewis earned recognition as one of the “Big Six” of the Civil Rights Movement along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A. Phillip Randolph, Whitney Young, James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins.

The group met with President John F. Kennedy to discuss the planning of the “March on Washington.”

In 1963, at just 23, Lewis served as a keynote speaker during the march.

In 1964, he helped coordinate and organized the successful “Mississippi Freedom Summer.”

In 1965, Lewis and fellow activist Hosea Williams led what was planned as a peaceful 54-mile march through Alabama from Selma to Montgomery. The march, a protest of the discriminatory practices and Jim Crow laws that prevented African Americans from voting, would be remembered in history as “Bloody Sunday,” one of the most dramatic and violent incidents of the American Civil Rights Movement.

The publicity surrounding “Bloody Sunday” and the subsequent march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led President Lyndon Johnson to push for the Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress on August 6, 1965, according to Lewis’ biography on The HistoryMakers.

Lewis was elected to his first governmental office in 1981, serving as an Atlanta City Council member until 1986. He was then elected to represent Georgia’s 5th Congressional District.

“John Lewis has spent his life bravely out front and center, challenging racism, entrenched systems and evil policies that support power and privilege for some as it oppresses others,” stated NNPA Treasurer and New Journal & Guide Publisher Brenda Andrews.

“He has helped change the laws and heart of the Jim Crow nation into which he was born, making us all a better people. My prayers for his recovery are with him as he confronts this very personal battle,” Andrews stated.

Bobby Henry, the publisher of the Westside Gazette Newspaper in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., recalled his first meeting with Lewis, which occurred more than 20 years ago.

“I asked him about his preaching to his chickens, which he wrote about in his book, and he responded with laughter and said, ‘they were the only ones who would sit still and listen to me.’ I would imagine that Congressman Lewis would approach his illness as he did in a story from his childhood where he and his family were home during a violent windstorm,” Henry stated.

“The winds were pulling the house up from the ground, and they marched from one corner of the house to the other to hold the house down to keep it from being blown away. With the same courage, I’m sure Rep. Lewis will approach his situation.”

]]>https://blacknewsportal.com/a-tribute-to-a-living-legend-civil-rights-icon-john-lewis3319Editor AdminA Tribute to a Living Legend: Civil Rights Icon John LewisFamily of Black Doctors Has Social Media BuzzingFamily of Black Doctors Has Social Media Buzzing

Dr. Herbert Oye is a Board Certified Endovascular and Vascular Surgeon, specializing in invasive and non-invasive treatment of vascular diseases.

Dr. Oye received his medical degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, according to his official biography.

His General Surgery residence was performed at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, an affiliate of Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Dr. Oye completed his fellowship training in advanced vascular and endovascular surgery at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

Perhaps, most impressive is that each of Dr. Oye’s four children followed in their father’s footsteps.

David, Monique, Michelle, and Melissa Oye, each said they were inspired by their father and all have become doctors.

“Our dad, Dr. Herbert Oye, is a Nigerian immigrant. Upon moving to the United States, he attended medical school and has worked tirelessly to build his own Vascular Surgery practice,” the young physicians wrote in a statement on Facebook.

“Dad has since opened a hospital back in Nigeria and splits his time between the United States and Nigeria. We are all currently in the medical field as a second, third, and fourth year medical student and a first year Internal Medicine Resident.”

Each are attending or have attended the West Virginia School of Medicine. Monique, the eldest of the family, graduated in 2018. Michelle is in her fourth year, while Melissa is in her third year.

David, the only son of Dr. Oye, is in his second year.

Their success has social media buzzing.

“Sending congratulations to your amazing family of wonderful world citizens,” Kathryn Stollmeyer Wright, wrote on Facebook.

Another Facebook user, Patricia Combs, wrote: “Well done. Congratulations for excellence in your drive, motivation, and ability to accomplish such great and momentous feat. You all are wonderful and blessed,” Combs stated.

]]>https://blacknewsportal.com/family-of-black-doctors-has-social-media-buzzing3320Editor AdminFamily of Black Doctors Has Social Media BuzzingRising Star Baptist Church is expanding its footprint to better serve the Tucson communityBy Chyrl Hill Lander

Rising Star Baptist Church is expanding it footprint to better serve the families of Tucson.

The church at 2800 E. 36th St., will break ground on a 20,000-square-foot Family Life Center following its 10 a.m. service on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Senior Pastor Amos L. Lewis said the Family Life Center will be constructed in the open area west of the church, which is on Tucson’s south side. The center will be a two-story building with classrooms, multipurpose space, a gym, and a kitchen. He estimated the center will be completed in December 2021 and will cost approximately $1 million.

Rising Star will house youth programs in the center that it now conducts from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson’s Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse at 2585 E. 36th St., which is about two blocks west of the church.

“Our Family Life Center will allow us to consolidate our youth programs on our church campus, including Sunday’s youth church and summer Bible School. Our Bright Star Community Development Center, and other church and community events also will operate out of the center. We are looking at the possibility of a charter school as well,” said Lewis.

The congregation built the church on East 36th Street and held its first service there on April 1, 2007. The five-acre property’s proximity to the Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse was a blessing that allowed a strong partnership to develop between the two entities. Lewis said this relationship will change once the Family Life Center is open, but it will remain strong.

The church’s Bright Star Community Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 that focuses on community outreach and empowerment. Through Bright Star, the church conducts programs to strengthen families and children, such as its food pantry that provides food to the needy each third Saturday. The church’s Backpack Program, offered each Friday in partnership with the Tucson Community Food Bank, gives food-filled backpacks to students in need at four schools on the city’s south side so the students and their families will have food to eat on Saturdays and Sundays. Additionally, church members travel to Santa Rita Park on West 22nd Street once a month to give food and toiletries to homeless people

The church’s outreach extends to Africa where it financially supports an orphanage in Zambia. “Next year we will send one of our pastors to visit and minister to the children,” said Lewis. And, Rising Star has partnered with Goshen Ministries, an outreach and service provider for African refugees who have relocated to Southern Arizona.

Lewis, who has been the senior pastor at Rising Star for 33 years, thinks of his church as an “empowerment zone” because “when people come here, they are empowered.”

“Through these and other ministries and partnerships, we are able to reach beyond our four walls and beyond our neighborhood, which is why our motto is ‘A Local Church with a Global Reach,’” said Lewis.

Rising Star’s active membership of approximately 500 worshippers support the church’s local and global outreach, and its growing footprint, so they can better serve — locally and globally.

Lewis said the church will start its Family Life Center Campaign in January to raise $200,000 for a down payment on the project. He said he hopes at least 200 members will donate $100 per month toward this goal.

The public is invited to the ground-breaking. For more information, call Rising Star at (520) 791-3068 or visit risingstarbaptist.org

Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart were released and exonerated after spending 36 years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit.

The men were teenagers when they received a life sentence in 1984 after being convicted of murdering 14-year-old DeWitt Duckett in Baltimore.

“Everyone involved in this case — school officials, police, prosecutors, jurors, the media, and the community — rushed to judgment and allowed their tunnel vision to obscure obvious problems with the evidence,” said Shawn Armbrust, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, which represents Watkins.

“This case should be a lesson to everyone that the search for quick answers can lead to tragic results,” Armbrust stated.

DeWitt reportedly was shot in the neck following a dispute over a jacket as he walked to class at Harlem Park Junior High School in Baltimore.

Marilyn Mosby, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney, reopened the case earlier this year because of lingering questions and recent revelations of corruption in the city’s police department that allegedly stretched back for decades.

Chestnut also sent a query to the city’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which the Washington Post said included exculpatory evidence that he uncovered in 2018.

An assistant prosecutor who worked on the case in 1984 reportedly said that prosecutors had no reports at the time that would have cast doubt on the guilt of the three men.

Following their conviction, court records were sealed, and it wasn’t until a year ago, that Chestnut had successfully obtained the related documents through a freedom of information request.

According to the District Attorney’s office, the police records revealed that several witnesses told authorities that the person responsible was an 18-year-old who immediately fled the scene and dumped his weapon.

Instead, the Baltimore police focused their investigation on Chestnut, Watkins, and Stewart. The alleged shooter was fatally shot in 2002.

“On behalf of the criminal justice system, and I’m sure this means very little to you, gentlemen, I’m going to apologize,” Circuit Court Judge Charles Peters told the men at a hearing on Monday, November 25.

Peters said the men are entirely exonerated.

&

Photo Caption:(From L to R) Andrew Stewart, Ransom Watkins and Alfred Chestnut, were released and exonerated after spending 36 years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit. (Photo: CBS News/YouTube)

]]>https://blacknewsportal.com/three-baltimore-men-exonerated-after-nearly-four-decades-in-prison3322Editor AdminThree Baltimore Men Exonerated After Nearly Four Decades in PrisonVanessa Williams Returns to the Valley(Photo Credit Gilles Toucas)

By True Father Allah

The unconquerable Vanessa Williams returns to the Valley Friday, Nov. 8, for the Arizona Musicfest’s kickoff to its 2019-2020 season. The concert will be at Highlands Church, in Scottsdale.

The “Save The Best For Last” singer is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today and has done it all – from selling millions of records worldwide to achieving numerous No. 1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard album and singles charts whether pop, dance, r&b to adult contemporary, holiday, Latin, gospel and jazz.

William’s critically-acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and on the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate, including: four Emmy nominations; 11 Grammy nominations; a Tony nomination; three SAG award nominations; seven NAACP Image Awards; and three Satellite Awards. Her platinum-selling single, “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney’s Pocahantas, won an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. For the comic book enthusiasts, she has even provided the voice of Amanda Waller, carrying the mantle for the character in DC Animated movies such as Batman: Hush – a character portrayed previously by the likes of Pam Grier, Angela Bassett and Viola Davis.

The Syracuse University graduate is a strong advocate for equal rights. She was honored with the Human Rights Campaign “Ally for Equality” Award for her humanitarian contributions. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied as well, embracing and supporting such organizations as Concerts for America and Special Olympics, among others. She also achieved a career pinnacle with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. Her 2012 autobiography, You Have No Idea – co-written with her mother Helen Williams – was a New York Times Bestseller. Her recent Broadway credits include: co-starring with Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful (the No. 1 play of the 2013 season); After Midnight (2014); and a special limited engagement in Hey, Look Me Over (2018) at New York City Center.

Recently, I got a chance to chat with the accomplished entertainer and reflect on her career and coming back out to Arizona.

TF:What is your most fond memory of performing in Phoenix or the surrounding area?

VW: Performing at the Superbowl in 1996 when the Cowboys defeated the Steelers. I got a chance to sing the National Anthem which was amazing and included fireworks and jets and a sea of people that was kind of an out of body experience because it was so larger than life. It’s one of those accomplishments you can click off the career saying you sung the anthem at the Superbowl. The entertainment for the Halftime that year included Diana Ross who arrived in a helicopter onto the 50-yard line.

TF: A woman of many talents as a musical artist, live performer, actor in film, stage, voice acting and an author, what have you enjoyed the most and why?

VW: I like the creative process. So I enjoy every bit of it. But I would say the one that allows me to do everything at the same time is musicals on Broadway because I have a live audience. I’m playing a character, I sing and I dance, and it’s with great material with a great ensemble. And, I get a chance to make it new and fresh every night.

TF: Already accomplishing so much, what are the main things you are focusing on in your career right now?

With her mind seeming to race over a zillion things, the constantly busy superstar manages to dwindle it down…

VW: I just finished writing a children’s book that will be out next spring. That’s my first. It also has a recording that goes with it. I’m about to go to the West End On London to work on a musical called City of Angels(https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/city-of-angels-musical-west-end-craig-trehearn_50257.html). It will be my first time doing a musical at the West End On London which I’m very excited about. I’m working on a new album planned for next year. There’s also a pilot I just shot for a cooking show called “The Good Dish” that I’m waiting to find out whether if that gets picked up for syndication.

Even though Williams is a seasoned professional that has been at it for decades in the entertainment industry, I commend her on her ability to juggle so much of what she does at a high level before continuing. She is one of the world’s most accomplished concert artists, appearing regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world – most recently with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.

TF: What does it mean to you when you learn that America’s three major 2019 pageant winners were all Black women being that you were the first to win Miss America 1984 back in 1983 kicking down that door?

VW: Well, it means that I’m old (laughs), considering that was 36 years ago. I’m happy that going from the first (Black woman) to having three different categories, it’s a great time for women that are my children’s age to know that there are no limits and that there are so many images of Black beauty which have achieved, conquered, are accepted and revered.

TF: Fans have enjoyed so much you have done from music hits like “The Right Stuff” and “Colors of the Wind” to a memorable episode on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” memorable scenes in movies like Soul Food (with the knife) and action movies like Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger. What would you say are your main three career highlights that you are most proud of?

VW: Three highlights would probably be singing “Colors of the Wind” for the Academy Awards in 1996 and having the song win and being acknowledged. That was very cool. Opening night on Broadway in 1994 starring in Kiss of the Spider Woman, because I grew up wanting to be on Broadway. Always seeing Broadway I knew that was a tangible goal for me to have my name in lights and have my family and friends there to enjoy it with me. That was a dream come true. Let’s see… there’s so many, but hearing my voice for the first time on the radio was something that I never thought would ever happen in my life!

TF: And what do you want to be most remembered for?
VW: I want to be remembered for persevering through obstacles assumptions and labels and always fighting to be seen as no one else than myself and also for my authenticity.

Indeed! Vanessa Williams has shown and proven her whole career that she is a queen with a crown no one will ever be able to take from her. Showtime is 7:30pm.

]]>https://blacknewsportal.com/vanessa-williams-returns-to-the-valley3323Editor AdminVanessa Williams Returns to the ValleyMaster of Comedy Dave Chappelle Receives ‘Mark Twain Prize for American Humor’“To be on a list with Richard Pryor is unfathomable, like nobody would actually feel worthy enough,” Chappelle reflected during an interview prior to the award ceremony. “And not just Richard, you’ve got George Carlin, Lorne Michaels—that really shaped my imagination, my life… and I hope that one day, somebody will look at me the same way and literally stand on something that I’ve built on, that wouldn’t fall apart.”

On Sunday night, Dave Chappelle, the legendary, no holds barred comedian, was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Gifted with a spirit of perseverance, determination and extreme creative intelligence, the award recognizes Chappelle as one of the world’s greatest humorists.

Bestowed only on a select few, including comedic geniuses Eddie Murphy, David Letterman and the late Richard Pryor (who received the inaugural award), Chappelle emphasized the importance of the genre, while also paying tribute to the late Pryor, during his award at the Kennedy Center.

In honor of Chappelle’s brilliance and ability to convey more than one thought-provoking message within a single joke, the event brought out a slew of a-list celebrities, all eager to support the clever comedian and his work, including Morgan Freeman, Bradley Cooper, Marlon Wayans, Tiffany Haddish, Keenan Thompson, QTip, Sarah Silverman and Saturday Night Live (SNL) creator, Lorne Michaels, who recounted Dave’s 2016 anticipated hosting debut on SNL.

“I knew when the moment came, [Dave would] be ready to perform, yet small doubts about his appearance still lingered until, [he sat down] beside me and everyone in the room and asked if he could read a quote by Toni Morrison,” Michaels reminisced, as he delivered the first official remarks of the night.

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal,” Michaels recited. “I knew then, we’d be ok.

A Washington, D.C. native and former student of the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts (located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia), Chappelle recounted his love for the arts and an even bigger appreciation for those cultivating those same skills within the youth.

“To be on a list with Richard Pryor is unfathomable, like nobody would actually feel worthy enough,” Chappelle reflected during an interview prior to the award ceremony. “And not just Richard, you’ve got George Carlin, Lorne Michaels—that really shaped my imagination, my life… and I hope that one day, somebody will look at me the same way and literally stand on something that I’ve built on, that wouldn’t fall apart.”

“There’s something divine about artistry, it’s like the god-like part of a person that can write a song or tell a good joke, it’s the best part of our nature,” Chappelle said.

“Life without art would be miserable. If I could never laugh again at a great joke, hear no beautiful music, or only see bare walls, what kind of life would that be?” Dave went on. “You touch a higher part of yourself, you connect with people on a more profound level and society is better with good art, so it should be protected and cultivated, and the youth should be encouraged to express themselves in every way.”

However, it was Chappelle’s 2003 Comedy Central show, aptly titled, “Chappelle’s Show,” that cemented his place in history.

Challenging race relations with controversial skits like “Ask a Black Dude,” Black White supremacist “Clayton Bigsby,” and his spoofs of celebrity icons Rick James, Prince and Wayne Brady — the segmented show earned three Emmy nominations and became the best-selling TV show in DVD history.

“When we started the show, I knew Dave was the funniest person I had ever met,” Chappelle’s Show Co-Creator and Co-Writer, Neal Brennan, said. “After the show, I knew he was the funniest person of all time.”

In a special recorded interview presented during the awards ceremony, Eddie Murphy heralded Chappelle as one of the most intellectual comedians ever. As the ceremony was coming to a close, the former host of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart, took to the stage to share his appreciation and admiration for Chappelle.

“I met Dave in the early ‘90s, a 17-year-old kid cutting his teeth in the toughest comedy clubs in the country and he was shockingly formed. This young prodigy. This young Mozart,” Stewart said.

“But he didn’t become a legend to me until 2005. I was at ‘The Daily Show’ and he was at ‘Chappelle’s Show.’ …Comedy Central offered him $50 million to just give us one more [season]. He walked away. It was at that moment I remember thinking, ‘Comedy Central has $50 million?’ …Dave left, but I knew that money was going to need a home. I want you to know that I raised that money like it was my own.”

Like the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain, Chappelle is among the small group of people whose humor has been able to have an enduring impact on American society and culture.

Chappelle shared that maybe the only thing second to being able to make people laugh is having the right to do so. “There’s something so true about this genre when done correctly,” Chappelle said. “That I would fight anybody that isn’t a true practitioner of this artform’s way, because I know this is the truth and you are obstructing it. I’m not talking about the content. I’m talking about the artform.”

The show will air on Jan. 7, on PBS.

]]>https://blacknewsportal.com/master-of-comedy-dave-chappelle-receives-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor3324Editor AdminMaster of Comedy Dave Chappelle Receives ‘Mark Twain Prize for American Humor’Black News Channel (BNC) TV Launches in AmericaBNC, which officially launches at 6 a.m. on Friday, November 15, 2019 has agreements with Charter Communications, Comcast and DISH TV. The network already has commitments for carriage in major African American hubs like Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Los Angeles.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In a joint teleconference broadcast live from the Four Season’s Hotel in New York’s Financial District, the Black News Channel (BNC) and the National Newspaper Publishers Association announced the official launch date and time for the nation’s first 24-hour, 7-days a week all-news TV channel that will focus on African American news.

The new channel promises to inform, educate, and empower nearly 50 million African Americans now living in the United States.

The potential for the network appears almost limitless.

BNC will immediately have the potential to reach 33 million households daily in all the major media markets across the nation.

Combined with the millions of readers who consume information from NNPA’s Black-owned newspapers and media companies each week, the BNC could quickly become the top destination for all who want to consume African American news on TV and on mobile devices.

BNC, which officially launches at 6 a.m. on Friday, November 15, 2019 has agreements with Charter Communications, Comcast and DISH TV. The network already has commitments for carriage in major African American hubs like Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Los Angeles.

Tallahassee, Florida, houses BNC’s headquarters, and the network will have news bureaus around the country, including Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Former Republican U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts is chairman of BNC, which is backed financially by business mogul and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan.

“This platform will create a venue for the African American community to have a dialogue to talk about news, education and cultural things,” stated Watts, who added that the network has been in the planning stage for many years.

“I had an afro when I started this,” Watts referenced.

“It’s especially important to have the Black Press of America join us in this venture. I bet most people don’t realize that there are 223 African American-owned newspapers in the NNPA, and that’s content for us,” Watts stated.

“We suffered a big blow with the loss of Ebony and Jet, publications I grew up reading. But I still read the Black Press in Oklahoma City, growing up.”

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., who participated in the teleconference, said the NNPA’s partnership with the BNC is a profound win-win for Black America.

“This year marks the 192nd year of the Black Press of America. Black Americans striving for excellence in all fields of endeavor give life to our culture that attracts and impacts all people. We set trends for ourselves and others,” Chavis stated.

“We’re not a cursed people, and we are a blessed people. We continue to strive for excellence, and to have Shad Khan announced as a primary investor for the launch and sustainable development of the BNC is of major significance,” Chavis noted.

Kahn told NNPA Newswire that the decision to back BNC was easy once he looked at the mission and the business model.

“I am a big believer in the fact that we have a number of communities, obviously especially the African American community, who are underserved,” stated Kahn, a magnate in the auto equipment industry.

In addition to the Jaguars, he owns the Fulham Football Club of the English Football League, All Elite Wrestling, and the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

“I hope that as time goes on, this becomes a bridge to connect all the cultures, including obviously south Asian. But I do believe there is an undeniable calling for everything the Black News Channel will deliver to African American television audiences, who have historically been underserved in an era where networks have otherwise successfully targeted news to specific demographic groups and interests. My decision to invest is an easy one because we get to answer that calling,” Kahn explained.

Both Watts and Kahn promised that BNC will give a voice to the varied experiences of African Americans and will not just tell a segment of the story but will tell the entire story.

“We will inform, educate, inspire, and empower the African American community,” Watts added.

BNC will have three primary anchor teams who will host the network’s evening newscast, morning newscast, and mid-day D.C. Today Live broadcast. In addition to primary anchor teams, BNC also will have high-profile expert contributors who will add commentary and information to each newscast.

The network will work with historically black colleges and universities to ensure that all African Americans have a voice.

A BNC correspondent will examine life on the HBCU campuses and explain why the experiences students have at these institutions of learning are so meaningful in the cultural development of many students’ lives. The weekly one-hour program will focus on what is happening at HBCUs that is good, positive, and uplifting.

Additionally, one of the many topics will include Sickle Cell Diseases, the blood disorder that disproportionately affects African Americans.

Veteran TV anchor Kelly Wright, who will host a 6 p.m. show on BNC, said his inaugural program would include a segment on the NNPA’s missing black girls national series.

That series spotlights the more than 424,000 African American women and girls who have gone missing in the United States over the past half-decade.

“We’re not looking to be Republican or Democrat. There will be current affairs, but we are culturally specific to the African American community. MSNBC, Fox News, CNN may have African American faces on their news shows, but they are not necessarily covering the community from a cultural perspective,” Watts stated. “We’re not looking to be left or right. We will be authentic and true to enriched and diverse African American experience.”

The former Chicago Bulls great has pledged $1 million to help the Bahamas in its efforts to recover from Hurricane Dorian. “I am devastated to see the destruction that Hurricane Dorian has brought to the Bahamas, where I own property and visit frequently,” Jordan said in a statement. “My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering and to those who have lost loved ones,” he said.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Michael Jordan was a superstar on the basketball court, and now, as a humanitarian, the six-time NBA World Champion has proven that his legendary status remains worthy.

The former Chicago Bulls great has pledged $1 million to help the Bahamas in its efforts to recover from Hurricane Dorian.

“I am devastated to see the destruction that Hurricane Dorian has brought to the Bahamas, where I own property and visit frequently,” Jordan said in a statement.

“My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering and to those who have lost loved ones,” he said.

Jordan, whose Air Jordan Nike sneaker brand has remained as legendary as his talents despite being retired for nearly 20 years, currently is the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

Widely considered the greatest ever to play the game, Jordan won five NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards.

He led the league in scoring ten times and was twice named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Jordan also earned 14 All-Star game berths and, in 2009, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Last year, Jordan gave $2 million to support North Carolina after Hurricane Florence devastated the Carolinas.

Hurricane Dorian reportedly has left more than 70,000 people homeless in the Bahamas, and at least 50 people have lost their lives.

“The Bahamian people are strong and resilient, and I hope that my donation will be of help as they work to recover from this catastrophic storm,” Jordan said.